Vietnam tour, Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi
Highlights
Ho Chi Minh City | My Khe Beach | Marble Mountains | Hoi An | Hanoi | Halong BayDescription of Vietnam tour, Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi
Good news for hurried travellers – time is no barrier to experiencing Vietnam! This fast-paced trip includes two internal flights to help cover the ground, offering an exciting snapshot of north and south Vietnam in just eight days.This small-group holiday kicks off in bustling Ho Chi Minh City, where the history of the Vietnam war is detailed in museums and the claustrophobic Cu Chi Tunnels, a former Viet Cong stronghold. Fly up to Danang and head to My Khe beach, a beautiful spot which lies against a backdrop of the Marble Mountains, before continuing to Hoi An to explore this old-world trading port. From here, fly to the capital Hanoi. A half-day walking tour will help you get your bearings and learn your history, then you’re free to explore the parks, lakes and lanes of this surprisingly quiet city by bike or on foot. Halong Bay is another highlight. You’ll take an overnight cruise through this otherworldly landscape of green waters and rocky islands, feasting on the bay’s fresh seafood.
The itinerary may be fast-paced, but there is time within it for you to explore independently, wandering markets, nibbling street food and popping into museums. Or just grab a beer, sit back and enjoy watching the traffic in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, as mopeds piled high with people and goods zip past. There’s no best time of year to visit, but be aware that temperatures vary greatly between north and south and pack for all extremes.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com
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Small group adventure - Comfort trips
What is a small group adventure?It's a great way to travel! Whether you are travelling on your own, with a partner or with friends, a small group trip is a fantastic way to see the world. You'll travel on a fixed itinerary that has been designed to help you discover the best of region. From the known highlights, the hidden gems that you won't find in the guidebooks.
Itineraries run on set departure dates, accompanied every step of the way by an English speaking local group leader. You chose the itinerary and the date that suits you best and you book on.
Why travel on a small group adventure?
Small groups allow us to explore where larger tour groups can't. Our maximum group size of 16 travellers allows us to use local transport to get from A to B, to visit rural villages, spend time with the locals and even stay at a local home overnight, and it allows us to give our travellers genuine, real life experiences of the countries we are visiting; what you'll be doing and how you'll travel depends entirely on your chosen itinerary.
Is an adventure right for me?
The word adventure means something different to everyone, and our range of trips reflects that. Whether you want to explore local markets, visit out of the way temples and meet local people or go on an early morning safari drive searching for the 'big five', we'll have a trip for you. If you are looking for a physical challenge such trekking the Kokoda Track or summiting Kilimanjaro, we can help with that too.
So what can I expect on this trip?
This is one of our Comfort trips, designed for travellers looking for more inclusions in their itinerary, a higher standard of accommodation and more focus on private vehicles over public transport.
Comfort trips are aimed at the adventure traveller who wants to discover the world up close, but with some creature comforts along the way. Dependent on the itinerary, there may still be a night multi-share accommodation (at a homestay for example), but this will be to ensure you don't miss out on a fantastic experience. Camping trips will usually stay in permanent, tented camps or some of the safari options may be lodge based.
You'll stay in predominantly 3 ½ star and above tourist class hotels with private, en suite facilities, although some itineraries will still include the opportunity to stay with a local family, spend a night on an overnight train or camp out somewhere amazing (without the hassle of putting up your own tent!).
You'll find a number of the meals are included (as per your itinerary) and when eating together we'll focus on smaller, often family run restaurants, often eating where the locals eat and ensuring that you are still getting an authentic travel experience.
Can I book my flights with you?
Yes! We are a fully ATOL bonded tour operator meaning that we can book flights from the UK as part of your holiday package. Just ask us for a quote including flights when you make your enquiry.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
As a global tour operator, we are committed to travelling responsibly and enthusiastically encourage all of our travellers to adopt our ethos. We believe that it is the responsibility of every traveller and every organisation to ensure that the area being visited benefits fully from our tourism and we work hard to ensure that all our itineraries are designed to respect the cultures, economy and the environment of the regions through which we travel.We are committed to operating in a responsible manner, incorporating the principles of sustainable development in the way we provide our travellers with real life experiences. These values are more than just words on a page; they are ingrained in our culture and the daily operations of every office and every trip.
As a company, our dedication to sustainable tourism doesn’t stop when our tours do. We have four projects in Vietnam dedicated to helping vulnerable children and families in providing educational services and training to help people out of poverty. We also support the Turtle Conservation Centre that has specialised breeding and holding facilities for over 600 turtles, representing 15 of Vietnam’s 23 native species.
We support the non-profit Nguyen Nga Centre that offers education, training and work placement assistance for disadvantaged people and people with disabilities. We purchase embroidered ‘say no to plastic’ cloth shopping bags for our travellers and the income goes to the centre to help pay their rent.
When we visit the World Heritage listed site of Hoi An, we encourage travellers to buy local souvenirs, often hand made by local villagers, to support the small businesses. We feel it’s imperative to financially support local businesses because it not only gives keeps locals at home rather than seeking out work in bigger cities, but it also enables us to visit these destinations over and over again. In Hoi An, we head off into the rural countryside on bicycles to explore local life.
The Impacts of this Trip
We are committed to operating in a responsible manner, incorporating the principles of sustainable development in the way we provide our travellers with real life experiences. These values are more than just words on a page; they are ingrained in our culture and the daily operations of every office and every trip.
When travelling through Asia, we always encourage our travellers to dress conservatively and respect the culture, particularly outside the major cities. We provide travellers with advice on appropriate dress and behaviour before the trip departs.
As well as being aware of cultural sensitivities, we endeavour to leave as little impact on a destination and environment as possible. We do this by travelling in small groups, on average about ten passengers with the maximum group size as 16. Travelling in small groups enables us to integrate into the local culture and experience snapshots of local life.
Big parts of Vietnamese history are the Cu Chi Tunnels, located just outside of Ho Chi Minh City. We feel it’s important to take travellers there to give them a real insight and appreciation into a country’s history. The visit is particularly moving and tells travellers part of the backstory of Vietnam. We employ all local tour leaders which provide secure and promising jobs for local people and gives us a true representation of a destination, adding to the experience for both traveller and local.
As a global tour operator, we are committed to travelling responsibly and enthusiastically encourage all of our travellers to adopt our ethos. We believe that it is the responsibility of every traveller and every organisation to ensure that the area being visited benefits fully from our tourism and we work hard to ensure that all our itineraries are designed to respect the cultures, economy and the environment of the regions through which we travel.We are committed to operating in a responsible manner, incorporating the principles of sustainable development in the way we provide our travellers with real life experiences. These values are more than just words on a page; they are ingrained in our culture and the daily operations of every office and every trip.
As a company, our dedication to sustainable tourism doesn’t stop when our tours do. We have four projects in Vietnam dedicated to helping vulnerable children and families in providing educational services and training to help people out of poverty. We also support the Turtle Conservation Centre that has specialised breeding and holding facilities for over 600 turtles, representing 15 of Vietnam’s 23 native species.
We support the non-profit Nguyen Nga Centre that offers education, training and work placement assistance for disadvantaged people and people with disabilities. We purchase embroidered ‘say no to plastic’ cloth shopping bags for our travellers and the income goes to the centre to help pay their rent.
When we visit the World Heritage listed site of Hoi An, we encourage travellers to buy local souvenirs, often hand made by local villagers, to support the small businesses. We feel it’s imperative to financially support local businesses because it not only gives keeps locals at home rather than seeking out work in bigger cities, but it also enables us to visit these destinations over and over again. In Hoi An, we head off into the rural countryside on bicycles to explore local life.
The Impacts of this Trip
We are committed to operating in a responsible manner, incorporating the principles of sustainable development in the way we provide our travellers with real life experiences. These values are more than just words on a page; they are ingrained in our culture and the daily operations of every office and every trip.
When travelling through Asia, we always encourage our travellers to dress conservatively and respect the culture, particularly outside the major cities. We provide travellers with advice on appropriate dress and behaviour before the trip departs.
As well as being aware of cultural sensitivities, we endeavour to leave as little impact on a destination and environment as possible. We do this by travelling in small groups, on average about ten passengers with the maximum group size as 16. Travelling in small groups enables us to integrate into the local culture and experience snapshots of local life.
Big parts of Vietnamese history are the Cu Chi Tunnels, located just outside of Ho Chi Minh City. We feel it’s important to take travellers there to give them a real insight and appreciation into a country’s history. The visit is particularly moving and tells travellers part of the backstory of Vietnam. We employ all local tour leaders which provide secure and promising jobs for local people and gives us a true representation of a destination, adding to the experience for both traveller and local.
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